Chapter 75 - Not Like Ozma-sama
「Evil Dragon? There's no way something like that exists, right?」
At night, while lying on the straw bed, I recounted the story I heard from the eye-patched cat to Faran, who responded as if she was exasperated.
「Well, I guess so...」
Dragons and monsters are usually confined to myths and legends, often misunderstood or taken as metaphorical lessons. It's not about the intelligence of the beastkin, but rather the simplicity of this village, where information is scarce and hearsay and legends are accepted as facts.
I thought Faran had also come to understand that.
「Because the evil dragon was destroyed by Ozma-sama.」
――And there it was, she said it.
The evil dragon did exist. However, with the stance that Ozma had destroyed it.
When I was attacked by Princess Frederica in the bathhouse before, she mentioned something like that, though I never thought she actually believed it. She's quite the pure girl.
「No, no... It's like a fairy tale, isn't it...」
As I voiced my thoughts, she made a displeased face and pinched my nose tightly.
「You shouldn't say such things in front of the Sisters. If I accuse you of heresy, you'll be punished without question. Well, I'm generous, so I'll let it slide this time, though...」
「...Well, thank you.」
I shook off her hand that was pinching my nose and she let out a sigh that seemed to express her exasperation.
「But still... Are you really of noble birth? Sometimes you say such outrageous things that it worries me. Got it? Everything written in the Orthodox Scriptures is an absolute and undeniable truth, you know?」
She's an impeccable fundamentalist.
I'm somewhat interested in how such a fanatical religion came to be, and I believe faith is a personal matter that others shouldn't interfere with. However, when it comes to me being the object of their faith, I can't help but wish they would leave me alone.
「But...」
Faran rested her cheek against my chest and clung tightly to me.
It's definitely not a healthy distance between a man and a woman, but honestly, I don't get how she perceives this situation.
「Leaving aside the matter of the Evil Dragon.........If the people of this village are in trouble, I want to help them in any way. Sacrificing lives like that is too barbaric.」
「Yeah, I agree.」
When I tried to ask more about the sacrifices, the eye-patched cat frowned. But despite that, I persisted and she reluctantly answered my questions.
According to her, during the late hours of the night, they would choose a girl as a sacrifice and bind her in front of the Evil Dragon's nest, leaving her there.
There has never been a case where the sacrificed girl returned, and the next day, when they went to check, there was no trace of her whatsoever.
After a brief silence, Faran timidly spoke up.
「Today, in the kitchen, I asked everyone about the geography of this area... I think this is the eastern half of the Hillberio territory in the kingdom.」
「Hillberio territory?」
「Yes, I heard that the undeveloped forest serves as a barrier between the Hillberio territory and the neighboring country... so I thought maybe that's where we are.」
It's probably true.
However, it's a name from four hundred years in the future, and it serves as a border, but...
If that hollow is the 'Abyss (Limbo)' that I know, then this place in this era is a land beyond the borders of the Edvard Kingdom, an untamed land without a ruler. It should have been marked in black on the map.
But of course, she has no way of knowing what's in my heart, so Faran continues to speak.
「So... since the girls said they escaped from even further east of this forest, it means they have crossed the border and fled from the neighboring country, right? In that case, if we return to the capital immediately and apply for refugee protection, I think they can be granted protection. I can make a request to the Archbishop, or you can ask that arrogant princess for help...」(?)
「I see...」
I responded like that, but I couldn't help but say it was impossible. The capital in this era is not San Ozmaria but Vesta. Moreover, both Faran and I are humans without any official records. We are merely suspicious individuals.
「And so, if this place is indeed where I guessed, there should be a village called Minsa in the Hillberio territory, a two-day journey westward from this forest. There should be a Spirit Train passing through Minsa, and once we reach Minsa, we should be able to reach the capital in half a day.」
I found myself at a loss for words.
In other words, her idea was to reach the capital as soon as possible and save the people of this village with the country's help. However, if I'm going to say that this was impossible, I couldn't avoid mentioning that this was the past, four hundred years ago.
Of course, sooner or later, it would be revealed.
Even if we were allowed to accompany Brisken and we reached the capital, I couldn't keep the fact that this was the past a secret.
(What should I do now? Should I just tell her already... No, but...)
Honestly, I couldn't predict how Faran would react when she found out this was the past. I was afraid it might drive her to despair, so I couldn't bring myself to make the decision.
「Faran... Let's gather more information from different people tomorrow. When is the next sacrifice going to be offered? Who will be offered? If it happens before we leave here, we should be able to prevent it.」
「But... even if we stop it, won't the same thing happen again after we're gone?」
I thought it was a natural question. But I didn't say it without thinking.
「If there really is an Evil Dragon, with you and me, we can defeat it, and if there isn't, we can just say we defeated it. Either way, once we know who and when they will take as a sacrifice, we can come up with a plan.」
Upon hearing my words, Faran chuckled and said,
「Defeat the Evil Dragon... We're not like Ozma-sama.」
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